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Team USA basketball are heading into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the standout favorites to secure their fourth consecutive gold medal at the Games. However, if their two exhibition matches against Nigeria at the weekend and Australia on Monday are anything to go by, this will be anything but straight forward.
As usual, the U.S. roster is stacked with NBA All-Star talent and championship experience. However, with a lack of chemistry and an unpredictable defense, they have lost consecutive games for the first time since league players were allowed to represent the national team in 1992.
On Saturday, Team USA fell by three points to Nigeria in what was one of the greatest upsets in basketball history despite its irrelevance. Expecting to face an angry outfit, the Australians came into their matchup with Coach Popovich's side with no fear and instead exposed the U.S.'s defensive weaknesses in the fourth quarter to win 91-83.
Also Check out: USA Olympic Basketball Team Schedule
5 things we learned from Team USA's two exhibition losses prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
These losses have left a gray cloud hanging over the national side and have raised questions regarding the adjustments they need to make if they don't want to embarrass themselves at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In this article, we will examine five key takeaways from Team USA's losses and how they can bounce back to re-assert their dominance prior to the tournament starting at the end of the month.
#1 Being favorites comes at a price
It's difficult to play with the favorite tag pinned to your back. Most players in the Team USA setup won't be used to playing under the pressure that the side they are in has to win when they play in the NBA. Yet, when it comes to playing for their national team, nothing short of a gold medal is acceptable.
Every other nation is out to topple the greats. They want to be the team that knocks the U.S. out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and open up the playing field for everybody else. Better yet, they have no expectation of winning when faced with a roster full of All-Star talent and championship winning coaches and they play like it.
This is what Team USA will face this summer and they have already had a taste for it in the opening two exhibition games. Nigeria, in particular, has nothing to lose. Just five years ago in another warmup contest prior to the Olympics in Brazil, they lost to the U.S. by almost 50 points. This time around things will be different, though, and Durant and co. won't just brush their opponents aside in search of the top prize.
#2 Chemistry is going to take time
Despite the wealth of superstars on the Team USA roster, clubbing together a group of players who have limited experience playing with one another or in some cases none at all is undoubtedly a challenge. Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Kevin Love are the only players to have been Olympians before, while Jayson Tatum and Khris Middleton were members of the national team at the 2019 World Cup.
In the 12-man roster, only Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday currently play together in the NBA. Durant and Green spent three seasons together at the Golden State Warriors, while the rest of the side have limited experience of one another's game.
Chemistry and execution are currently holding Team USA back, particularly in the clutch with so many shooters on the team. After their loss to Australia, both Damian Lillard and coach Popovich drew on the inherent disadvantage the US men's team often hark back to - other national teams with a core of NBA players develop chemistry together while growing up through the ranks.
If there are any coaches in basketball, though, who know how to manage egos and bring together styles of play that may not normally fit together, it is Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr.
#3 Size will be a problem
The biggest problem expected to hold Team USA back at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is size. It was suggested prior to their training camp and is still being highlighted now. But more importantly, it is visible on the court.
Their roster was put together with scoring and versatility on defense in mind at the expense of size in the paint. The Aussies continuously threw passes inside to those making cuts or with a favorable matchup and outscored the US by 44-24 in the paint.
Against physically commanding bigs such as Rudy Gobert for France, Team USA are going to struggle to dominate the boards and gain second-chance points for themselves.
With Bam Adebayo being the only true center chosen to represent Team USA, we could see several small-ball lineups with Kevin Love at the five along with Durant on the floor. However, they are going to have to make some adjustments as soon as possible after conceding 46 rebounds against Nigeria and grabbing just 34 of their own.
#4 Average performances won't be enough
There was once a time when Team USA could put in bang average performances and get away with it knowing that they would surely outscore their opponents eventually and could force them into tough looks on defense. Since NBA players were allowed to represent the US in 1992, they have lost just three times in seven Olympic appearances.
However, there is a growing trend that those days are at an end. As Lillard alluded to post-game after the loss to Australia, some of the sides competing in Tokyo could have a full starting five of NBA talents.
When they face France in their group, Team USA will have to put up with the league's Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, LA Clippers sharpshooter Nicolas Batum and Boston Celtics starting guard Evan Fournier.
All of a sudden they are playing teammates or opponents who know how they play inside out. Therefore, resting on their laurels and hoping they can get the job done simply won't be good enough for the US this summer, as proven in these exhibition games.
#5 There needs to be consistency on defense
Despite putting together a roster with defense in mind, Team USA's defense so far in the opening two exhibition games has been patchy. In their opener against Nigeria, they allowed their opponent's to make twenty three-point shots. Although they then tightened up their perimeter defense against the Aussies, allowing just ten made efforts, their defense in the paint was instead exposed.
With some players showing a lack of stamina in the closing minutes of these games, it could be hard for Popovich to put his ideal five out to get defensive stops in crunch time. At the moment, they don't seem to have a lineup that can limit their opponent 1-through-5 and so they have chosen instead to try and outscore them.
Ideally, Draymond Green would be the anchor of Team USA's defense, with Adebayo in the paint, Tatum and Durant on the wings and Lillard at the point. After their struggles so far, though, we could see some variation in the side's setup against stiff opposition.
Guess the Lakers players!
